This invention relates to a shoe display support or mount.
It is well known that modern athletic shoes incorporate a number of design features which are functional and/or aesthetic. These design features are frequently visible on the outside of the shoe and represent a significant source of marketing value.
In footwear retail establishments, it is traditional to display shoes on racks or in windows. Usually, one or both members of a pair of shoes are displayed in a normal right-side-up orientation, with the solos in contact with an underlying support surface. Such a display method is satisfactory where the shoes being displayed are dress shoes. In that case, the look and function of the shoes is adequately apprehended by a visual inspection of the shoe uppers. However, where the shoes have a sole with unusual, utilitarian or ornamental features, those features are generally hidden and not observable when the shoes are displayed in the traditional fashion.
It is a object of this invention to provide a shoe support or mounting member which facilitates a display of both shoes of a matching pair.
Another particular object of the present invention is to provide such a shoe support or mounting member which enables display of both shoes of the pair in different orientations.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a shoe support or mount which enables display of a shoe underside or sole.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a shoe support or mounting member which is easy and inexpensive to manufacture.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a shoe support or mounting member which is which may be incorporated into a shoe box.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a method for displaying a pair of shoes.
These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the drawings and descriptions herein.
The present invention is directed in part to a shoe support or display which facilitates the display of at least one shoe of a matched pair so that the underside or sole of the shoe is visible to a viewer on casual inspection. Where the soles of the shoes have unusual, utilitarian or ornamental features of possible interest to a potential consumer, displaying at least one shoe in a substantially upside-down orientation serves to promote the shoes and pique the interest and desire of the consumer.
In the present invention, the shoe support is preferably a unitary molded piece insertable in a shoe box so that the shoes are predisposed in an attractive display configuration accessible merely by removing the lid of the box.
A display mount for shoes comprises, in accordance with the present invention, a first support for supporting a first shoe of a pair in a generally upside-down orientation to enable display of a sole of the first shoe, a second support for supporting a second shoe of the pair in a different orientation, and a connection element connecting the first support and the second support to one another.
The first support preferably includes a substantially planar panel or surface for engaging an ankle lip or rim of the first shoe and further includes an inclined panel coupled to the planar panel for engaging a metatarsal or upper portion of the first shoe. In addition, the first support further includes a substantially vertical panel or wall connected at least indirectly to the planar surface and the inclined surface. The vertical panel or wall serves as a stop or arrest holding a respective shoe from sliding off of the inclined panel or surface. The vertical panel or wall is preferably curved to define a generally oval recess receiving the first shoe.
The second support also preferably includes a second substantially planar panel or surface for engaging the second shoe. The planar panels or surfaces of the first and second shoe supports are generally coplanar and continuous with one another. The second support further includes an additional substantially vertical panel or wall substantially surrounding the second substantially planar panel or surface.
As mentioned above, the first support, the second support means and the connection element arm preferably all parts of an integrally molded support body made of a synthetic resin or polymeric material. However, it is within the contemplation of the instant invention that the planar support surfaces are formed by the lower panel of a shoe box, while the inclined surface and substantially vertical surfaces of the two shoe supports are parts of an integrally molded polymeric support body disposed in the shoe box.
The orientation of the second shoe is generally either a right-side-up orientation or a sideways orientation. In any case, the vertical sidewall of the respective shoe support is adapted to hold the shoe in the desired orientation. A rectangular configuration is effective where the second shoe is disposed in an upright orientation.
A display support for shoes comprises, in accordance with another conceptualization of the present invention, a support body having an upper surface and at least one recess depending downwardly from the upper surface. The support body has an inclined surface contiguous at an upper end with the upper surface. The recess is defined in part by the inclined surface. The support body also has a substantially vertical surface contiguous with the upper surface. The recess is also defined in part by the substantially vertical surface.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, the recess is a first recess, whereas the support has a second recess also depending downwardly from the upper surface. Likewise, the substantially vertical surface is a first substantially vertical surface of the display support, the support body having a second substantially vertical surface defining the second recess.
Pursuant to further features of the present invention, the second recess is substantially prismatic, and more particularly has the shape of a right rectangular prism, while the second recess and the first recess communicate with one another via an opening in the support.
Where the support body includes an up wardly facing floor surface, the first recess and the second recess are defined in part by the floor surface, while the substantially vertical surfaces are contiguous with the floor surface.
As discussed hereinabove, the shoe display mount may additionally comprise a shoe box, with the support body being disposed inside the box.
A related method in accordance with the present invention for displaying a pair of shoes utilizes a shoe support. One shoe of a matched pair is disposed in a substantially upside-down orientation on the shoe support, while the other shoe of the matched pair is disposed on the support in a given different orientation. The shoe support is preferably provided in a box containing the shoes of the pair disposed in the upside-down orientation and the different orientation, respectively. The method then further comprises removing a lid from the box to reveal the shoes.
A shoe support in accordance with the present invention provides a shoe display which is easy to install. The shoes are disposed on the display at the factory or by the shipper. The display support is part of the shoe package. Every pair of shoes has its own display. It is only necessary that the lid be removed to show a pair of shoes with at one member of the pair in an upside-down orientation to display the design of the shoe soles.
A shoe display mount or support in accordance with the present invention is inexpensive and easy to manufacture and insert in a shoe box. Shoes are simply deposited in respective recesses to provide the appropriate display.